A high speed optical channel including an optical driver and a photodetector in a CMOS photoreceiver. The optical channel driver includes a FET driver circuit driving a passive element (e.g., an integrated loop inductor) and a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) diode. The VCSEL diode is biased by a bias supply. The integrated loop inductor may be integrated in CMOS technology and on the same IC chip as either/both of the FET driver and the VCSEL diode. The photodetector is in a semiconductor (silicon) layer that may be on an insulator layer, i.e., SOI. One or more ultrathin metal electrodes (<2000 Å) on the silicon layer forms a Schottky barrier diode junction which in turn forms a quantum well containing a two dimensional electron gas between the ultrathin metal electrode and the Schottky barrier diode junction.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A high speed integrated photodetector comprising: a semiconductor layer; an ultrathin metal pattern on said semiconductor layer, said ultrathin metal pattern having a thickness less than 2000 Å and forming a Schottky baffler diode junction in said semiconductor layer; and a quantum well formed in said semiconductor layer between said ultrathin metal pattern and said Schottky baffler diode junction.
2. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 1 , wherein a two dimensional electron gas is contained in said quantum well.
3. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor layer is a silicon layer.
4. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 3 , further comprising: an insulator layer, wherein said silicon layer is a surface layer on said insulator layer.
5. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 4 , wherein said ultrathin metal pattern is 10-300 Å thick.
6. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 5 , wherein said ultrathin metal pattern is < 100 Å thick.
7. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 6 , wherein said ultrathin metal pattern is 50 Å thick.
8. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 6 , wherein said ultrathin metal pattern comprises a pair of photodetector electrodes.
9. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 8 , wherein said pair of photodetector electrodes are arranged in a grate on a surface of said silicon layer.
10. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 9 , wherein said grate is a plurality of 25 μm long tungsten fingers on 2 μm pitch.
11. A CMOS photoreceiver including a high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 10 driving a CMOS inverter.
12. A CMOS photoreceiver including a high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 1 driving a CMOS inverter.
13. A high speed integrated photodetector comprising: a semiconductor layer; a pair of Schottky baffler diodes comprising a plurality of parallel ultrathin metal fingers on said semiconductor layer, each of said ultrathin metal fingers having a thickness less than 2000 Å with linear dimensions on the scale of the photon wavelength; and a quantum well formed in said semiconductor layer between said ultrathin metal pattern and bounded in said semiconductor layer by the junctions of said pair.
14. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 13 , wherein the quantum well has an active layer thickness of 10 nm or less and contains a two dimensional electron gas.
15. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 13 , wherein said semiconductor layer is a silicon layer.
16. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 15 , wherein said ultrathin metal pattern is 10-300 Å thick.
17. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 16 , wherein said plurality of parallel ultrathin metal fingers are on a 2 μm pitch, each being a 25 μm long tungsten finger.
18. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 16 , wherein said ultrathin metal pattern is 50 Å thick.
19. A CMOS photoreceiver including a high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 18 driving a CMOS inverter, said high speed integrated photodetector detecting photons having a wavelength of 850 nm.
20. A high speed integrated photodetector as in claim 15 , further comprising: an insulator layer, wherein said silicon layer is a surface layer on said insulator layer.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 25, 2007
February 9, 2010
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